Last Updated 14th April 2025. If you’ve been involved in a car accident, you may understand how scary and stressful it can be. The loud noises and sudden movements can cause psychological trauma as well as physical injuries. You may be wondering, ‘How much compensation can I claim for anxiety after a car accident?’. In this guide, you can learn all about claiming for a personal injury.
Below, we explain how this condition can develop, as well as other related injuries like whiplash, and how much compensation you can claim. We also explain how our specialist No Win No Fee solicitors can help you.
If you’d like to check your eligibility to claim, you can get in touch with us for free via any of the following methods:
- Call us on 0800 073 8804
- Use the live chat feature
- Contact us online
Select a Section
- How Much Compensation Can I Claim For Anxiety After A Car Accident?
- When Could I Claim For Psychological Trauma After A Car Accident?
- Symptoms Of Anxiety Following A Car Accident
- How Long Do I Have To Claim For Anxiety After A Car Accident?
- How Can I Prove A Claim For Anxiety After A Car Accident?
- Claim For Anxiety With A No Win No Fee Solicitor
- Learn More About Car Accident Claims
How Much Compensation Can I Claim For Anxiety After A Car Accident?
You may be looking for an anxiety compensation calculator to help you understand how much a potential settlement could be worth. However, a calculator may not be able to consider all aspects of your claim when providing a figure. Some successful settlements may consist of two heads of claim: general and special damages.
General damages compensate for the physical pain and mental suffering caused by your injuries. This covers both physical injuries, such as a neck injury and harm to your mental health, such as post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). When assigning a value to your claim, legal professionals can refer to the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG, 17th edition, published in 2024) to help them. The JCG provides guideline compensation brackets for different injuries, and refer to claims made in England and Wales.
Compensation List
Please note that the first entry has not been taken from the JCG, and none of the below figures can be guaranteed for your potential claim. This is because all claims are unique.
We have also included two whiplash entries with corresponding figures from the tariff in the Whiplash Injury Regulations 2021; these amounts are fixed.
- Up to £500,000+ for suffering multiple serious injuries and financial losses.
- £66,920 to £141,240 for severe psychiatric damage, where the prognosis is very poor
- £23,270 to £66,920 for moderately severe psychiatric damage, where the prognosis is a bit more optimistic.
- £7,150 to £23,270 for moderate psychiatric damage, where the prognosis will be good due to marked improvements by trial.
- £1,880 to £7,150 for less severe psychiatric damage, depending on how much your daily routine and sleep has been affected.
- £73,050 to £122,850 for severe PTSD, where all aspects of life are badly affected.
- £28,250 to £73,050 for moderately severe PTSD, where there is a better prognosis but the effects will still be significantly disabling for the foreseeable future.
- £9,980 to £28,250 for moderate PTSD, where there will be a large recovery.
- £4,820 to £9,980 for less severe PTSD, where a virtual full recovery takes 1-2 years.
- £4,345 for whiplash injuries and psychological damage that last between 18-24 months.
- £4,215 for whiplash injuries that last between 18-24 months.
Special Damages
Additionally, you might be awarded special damages to compensate for financial losses caused by your injuries. Some examples of what you might be able to recover under special damages include:
- Therapy costs.
- Travel expenses.
- The cost of prescriptions.
- Loss of earnings.
You should submit evidence of these costs, such as receipts and wage slips.
What Are The Whiplash Reforms And How Could They Affect My Claim?
The Whiplash Reform Programme may affect your claim, as they changed how road traffic accident claims are made in England and Wales for drivers and passengers aged 18 or over with claims worth £5,000 or less.
Also, whiplash injuries will be valued in accordance with the tariff set out in the Whiplash Injury Regulations 2021. These amounts are fixed and illustrated in our table.
Further injuries that are not covered by the tariff will be valued in the traditional manner. Also, if you have additional injuries that take the total value of your claim over £5,000, you will claim via the traditional route.
If you are asking, ‘How much compensation can I claim for anxiety after a car accident?’ Please get in touch with an advisor as they can can give you more examples of how much you may be awarded for a successful claim.
When Could I Claim For Psychological Trauma After A Car Accident?
Road users owe a duty of care to navigate the roads in a way that prevents harm or damage to one another. They can uphold this duty by following the rules and regulations in the Road Traffic Act 1988 and The Highway Code.
When claiming for psychological trauma after a car accident, compensation in the UK may be awarded if you meet the eligibility requirements. In order to make a valid personal injury claim for anxiety after a car accident, you will need to prove the following:
- A duty of care was owed by another road user.
- This duty was breached.
- You experienced psychological harm, a physical injury, or both together as a result of the breach.
These three criteria form the foundation of negligence in personal injury claims. You must prove negligence occurred in order to seek road traffic accident compensation.
For further guidance on the eligibility criteria, please contact an advisor. They can also answer other questions such as, ‘how much compensation for whiplash and anxiety can I claim after a road traffic accident?’.
Can I Claim For Anxiety After A Minor Car Accident?
Some people who suffer a car accident feel that if the incident is minor, such as a bump or scrape, they would not be able to make a personal injury compensation claim.
The important thing to remember is that the law treats every claimant as an individual and does not make generalisations. Even a minor accident can cause anxiety in certain people, or it may make an existing anxiety disorder even worse, which again is something you can claim for.
If you’d like to check your eligibility, why not get in touch with us free of charge on the number above?
Symptoms of Anxiety Following A Car Accident
Anxiety may impose minor mental discomfort or significant psychological distress affecting the day-to-day lives of those involved in a car accident. Here are some examples you may experience if you are suffering from anxiety.
Mental symptoms, such as:
- Fear of travelling or using the roads
- Flash backs of the car accident
- Sleep deprivation
- Continuous worrying
- Change in behaviour
Physical symptoms, such as:
- Chest pain or tightness
- Fast or irregular heart rate
- Loss of appetite
- Headaches and lightheadedness
- Breathlessness
- Feeling hot and sweating more
Anxiety after a car accident is common. If you are experiencing symptoms, you should seek medical assistance to get a diagnosis and treatment for it. You can also be checked for other injuries such as whiplash and potentially claim compensation for them.
How Do Car Accidents Cause Anxiety?
A car accident may cause anxiety following the intensity, power and shock of the collision. It is the bodily response to such trauma that often develops into symptoms of anxiety.
For some road users, the effects may be minor, often lasting a few hours from the initial impact of the accident. For others, it may have a lasting impact resulting in long term panic attacks and travel anxiety. In some cases, therapy may be needed to overcome symptoms and and gain confidence on the roads again.
If you have experienced symptoms of anxiety following a car accident, you may be entitled to compensation. Contact our advisors to learn more starting a claim to receive a compensation payout for your suffering.
How Long Do I Have To Claim For Anxiety After A Car Accident?
According to the Limitation Act 1980, the time limit to claim psychological trauma after a car accident compensation is 3 years from the date the accident took place.
However, there are a couple of exceptions to this time limit. Those being if the claimant is either:
- A child (younger than 18).
- Lacking their full mental capacity.
In these circumstances, the time limit will be paused. While the time limit is paused, a litigation friend can step in and begin the claim on behalf of the claimant. But, if a litigation friend hasn’t stepped in by the time the claimant either:
- Turns 18.
- Recovers their full mental capacity.
Then the usual 3-year time limit will commence from either the date of their 18th birthday, or the date of their mental recovery.
To learn more about making a claim on someone else’s behalf, and on how much compensation for whiplash and anxiety could potentially be awarded, please contact us today.
How Can I Prove A Claim For Anxiety After A Car Accident?
When making a claim for compensation for anxiety after a car accident, it’s important to make sure that you have the right evidence. This is because you need to prove not only that someone else breached their duty of care but that this caused you to suffer injuries.
Some examples of evidence that you could use to help you claim for mental health injuries after a car accident include:
- Medical records: These can detail the severity of your anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as the treatment you need in the future. If you are claiming for whiplash and anxiety, x-rays and other scans can help illustrate the severity of your injuries.
- Witness statements: Taking the contact details of those who witnessed the car accident ensures that their statements can be taken by a professional later on during the claims process.
- Photographs: Taking pictures of the accident site can help demonstrate how the crash occurred. Similarly, dashcam footage or CCTV footage could also be used as evidence.
A No Win No Fee solicitor from our team could help you collect evidence for your claim when you get in touch. Contact our team of advisors today to learn more about how to claim compensation for a car accident, or keep reading for more information on making a car accident claim.
Claim For Anxiety With A No Win No Fee Solicitor
When making a personal injury claim for trauma after a car accident, whether it’s a traumatic physical injury or psychological injury, or both together, you may benefit from instructing a solicitor to help you seek compensation. One of our solicitors could help you make a claim for anxiety after a car accident on a No Win No Fee basis; they do this by offering their services through a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA).
When you work with a solicitor under a CFA, you aren’t expected to pay them a fee to begin work on your claim, nor do you have to pay for their continued services. Similarly, if your claim doesn’t succeed, your solicitor won’t take a fee for their services.
However, in the case of a successful claim, your solicitor will take a success fee. This fee is taken straight from your compensation in the form of a small percentage, though this percentage is subject to a legislative cap. The cap helps to ensure that the majority of your compensation goes to you.
Contact Our Team
If you are suffering from anxiety after a car accident, one of our solicitors could help. Contact our team of helpful advisors today to learn more. They can answer your questions, and can evaluate the validity of your claim. Start today by:
- Calling us on 0800 073 8804
- Using the live chat box
- Contacting us online
Learn More About Car Accident Claims
- Click here to read the NHS guide to treatments for anxiety.
- The Anxiety UK web page has lots of information about anxiety that may help.
- Visit the government website to understand more about the DVLA’s guidance on PTSD and driving.
- Read our in-depth explanation of how our No Win No Fee service works.
- Our guide to car accident claims explores compensation for psychological and physical injuries following an accident.
More Helpful Guides
- Visit our guide on motorcycle accident claims which explores the process of making a claim against a negligent road user.
- Read this guide to see if you can claim for whiplash leading to physiotherapy.
- Psychiatric Injury Compensation Case Study
- Head Injury Claims
- Bus Accident Claims
Feel free to get in touch now if you want to learn more about how much compensation for anxiety after a car accident you could receive.
